Activities/Events

Secret Garden Tour

Milford Garden Club’s 25th Annual Secret Garden Tour will take place on Saturday, July 15th, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Gardeners and non-gardeners alike eagerly await this self-guided tour each summer. 2017 Ticket Sale information will be announced here when available. Locations of the gardens are “secret” until the day of the tour. Gardeners and non-gardeners alike eagerly await this self-guided tour each summer, which is held rain or shine!

On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased at Remembrance Place, Elderberry Alley and West Ann Street, Milford, PA, (Behind Stroyan Funeral Home), or at the Rotary Circle near the property of the Community House on the corners of Broad and Harford Streets, Milford, PA, (at the traffic light) – look for a tent!

The mission of our club is the beautification of Milford. The Secret Garden Tour is our main fundraiser and proceeds from this event will be used for the many plantings along the streets, in the entry triangles, and in the various parks within the Borough.

Come see these magnificent “secret” gardens and then stroll around our beautiful town to enjoy the other attractive areas maintained by members of the Milford Garden Club.

For further information, please email milfordgarden@gmail.com.

Beautification

One of the major activities throughout the year is Beautification. Numerous members of the Club take on the delightful task of planting and maintaining areas throughout the town with seasonal annuals. Urns are placed at 25 strategic sites in town and adorned with an array of seasonal plants. Businesses sponsor larger plantings along Hartford and Broad Street. The Milford Garden Club has dedicated themselves to maintaining three parks. Kennedy Park is located on your right of Route 209 as you enter Milford. It is dedicated to the visit of President John F. Kennedy for the dedication of Grey Towers in 1963. Ethel Barkley Park is located at the river end of East Ann Street (diagonal to the Laurel Villa Country Inn) and is dedicated to the memory of Ethel who served as past president. It overlooks a serene view of the Delaware River.

Paper Bark Maple

Remembrance Place (formerly the Dimmick Cemetery) is the hidden jewel of the town. Located at the far end of Ann Street, adjacent to the Key Foods and behind Stroyan Funeral Home, a variety of gardens are dedicated to perennial plants which are native to the area. A medicinal garden also highlights plants which have been instrumental in healing and health. You can also find a specimen of the Milford Rose. These three parks provide a space to sit amidst nature and reflect its everlasting beauty. The Club also maintains the welcome sign at the entry to Milford and various other spots in town.

Community Garden Project

The Community Garden Project was launched by the Milford Garden Club in 2012. We hope to provide fresh produce to the Ecumenical Food Pantry (located at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Milford, PA) during the growing season. Milford Township has graciously allowed the club to use the property adjacent to the township building (560 Route 6 and 209) which is enclosed and has access to water.

This dream would not be possible without the sponsorship of Home Depot. With corporate funding, a host of employees volunteered their time to help set up raised beds, fill with soil and compost and provide quality plants. It is estimated that over 250 pounds of fresh grown produce from eggplant to beans to potatoes were donated this past year.

Home Depot also assured the club of their desire to continue their participation in the garden. We are also indebted to GAIT (Genuine Alternative in Therapy), a program which intends to improve the quality of life of children and adults with special needs resulting in a more independent life in society. Their generous donation of composted manure is priceless!

Volunteers, both from the Garden Club and the community at large, both young and old, have been tending the garden on a daily basis with tasks such as planting, watering and weeding. If you would like to donate or become a volunteer to this Community Garden Project, please call (570. 296.5326) and ask for Ralph or Linda. The appreciation expressed by visitors to the food pantry has inspired the Milford Garden Club to continue this project for many growing seasons to come.

Perennial Plant Sale

A favorite annual community event will be held on Saturday, May 20th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Members gather a collection of some of their standard and exotic perennials from their personal gardens. Gardeners are available for questions and direction. The sale takes place on the property of the Community House located on the corner of Broad and Harford Streets, Milford, PA (At the traffic light in town, across from the Dimmick Inn.) This is a rain or shine event. The perennials are grown locally by members of the club. They include varieties for sun, shade, part sun, part shade. The plants will come with instructions that suggest the best growing conditions. All proceeds go toward the continued beautification of Milford Borough. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity.

Flower Show / Art-inBloom

The Milford Garden Club is a member of District II/III, Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania and National Garden Clubs, Inc., the latter having as its mission to provide education, resources and national networking opportunities for its members, to promote the love of gardening, floral design, civic, and environmental responsibility.

As part of its commitment to educate both its members and the public in floral design and horticulture, the Milford Garden Club holds a standard flower show every other year in August. Alternate years, the club collaborates with local artists to host ART-IN-BLOOM. A unique exhibit of floral arrangements composed and paired alongside painting from local artists. Each arrangement is a visual interpretation of the artist’s painting. For our 80th Anniversary Year, we have decided to kick it off with this event in April. Our appreciation is extended to the artists of the ARTery Gallery, located at 210 Broad St. Milford, PA for hosting this year’s event. The exhibit begins Saturday, April 8th and runs until May 8th, ( live arrangements will be exhibited for the life of the live matter and/or refreshed throughout). Opening Gallery Reception Saturday, April 8th, 6-9PM. Special Garden Club Reception April 23rd noon-2pm.

Scholarship

Each year, the Milford Garden Club awards a scholarship to a graduating senior of Delaware Valley High School who shows an interest in horticulture.

Chrysanthemum Sale

This fundraiser takes place September 5th. Pre-orders are taken for some of the best quality mums raised at a local nursery.